Phantasy Star Universe updated on Xbox 360, expansion now free

Sega has announced that an update is now available for the Xbox 360 version of Phantasy Star Universe (the PS2 and PC versions are kaput, remember). Entitled "GUARDIANS Advanced Content," the update includes new items, new missions, a new character customization system and tweaks to existing classes and abilities. The update is free for all subscribers and will be applied automatically on login.

Sega also reminded players that the Phantasy Star Universe expansion, Ambitions of the Illuminus, is now available free of charge. Originally costing 800 MSP ($10), the expansion features its own set of additions including new weapons, locations, enemies and more. If you grab the update and the expansion and squint your eyes, you just might be able to trick yourself into thinking it's a realPhantasy Star sequel.

Massive content update patch – AOTI Expansion Pack now FREE for all players - Further PSU updates to be announced in the coming weeks.

(July 21, 2010) – SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that GUARDIANS Advanced Content is now available for Phantasy Star Universe on Xbox 360™. In addition, the Ambition of the Illuminus Expansion is now available as a free download through Xbox Live™ (a value of 800 MSP). There's never been a better time to get into PSU!

GUARDIANS Advanced Content adds a huge amount of new content to an already massive Universe to explore. This update greatly expands the challenges and fun for new and veteran players. New features and highlights are:

- Tons of new missions

- Countless new weapons and items

- A brand new system to customize your characters

- Classes and abilities have been updated and improved

PSU subscribers won't have to do anything special to get it – the game will be updated automatically next time they'll log in.

Also, to celebrate the release of GUARDIANS Advanced Content, the Ambition of the Illuminus expansion pack is now free! The AOTI Expansion adds tons of content to the original Phantasy Star Universe and features countless missions, story content, weapons, clothing, updates to player rooms, and other features. In addition to new enemies, weapons, levels and cities there will be more options available for gamers to further individualize and customize the look of their characters. Ambition of the Illuminus continues the exciting PSU story online as the player's character is now the central protagonist, investigating and working to restore peace in the chaotic Gurhal System.

Phantasy Star has been Sega's signature RPG series and a favorite of fans for 19 years. Of those games, 2000's Phantasy Star Online saw particularly enormous popularity as the first network RPG for home consoles, and received the top prize from the 5th annual Japan Entertainment Software Awards. Over the past years, PSO has been brought to various consoles and today is still enjoyed by countless users. Combining the story elements of Phantasy Star and five years of network-RPG experience from Phantasy Star Online, the fully-loaded Action RPG Phantasy Star Universe was born!

For more info about GUARDIANS Advanced Content, and the PSU series in general, please check out the official PSU website: http://phantasystaruniverse.com/

Phantasy Star Universe Info

Description

Phantasy Star Universe will offer users two completely different experiences for use in both online and offline play. Developed by Sonic Team and supervised by Sonic the Hedgehog and Phantasy Star Online creator Yuji Naka, PSU will boast more than 40 hours of single-player exploration, with a character-intensive storyline and plenty of cutscenes. Specific plot details are pretty thin at this point, but we do know that the game follows a 17 year-old military cadet named Ethan Waber, a man that's determined to rescue his kidnapped sister from a mysterious life force known as THE SEED.